Pyaar ki Takrar

Chapter 20: Clearing the Air

The tension between Twinkle and Kunj lingered as they sat in the garden, the sound of Neil’s voice still echoing in Twinkle’s mind. She clutched her phone tightly, feeling a storm of emotions brewing inside her. But as she glanced at Kunj, who was staring intently at her, she knew she had to clear the air.

Twinkle sighed, brushing a hand through her hair as she turned to face him. "Kunj, before you jump to conclusions—"

"Neil?" Kunj interrupted, his voice cold, his jaw clenched. He wasn’t angry, but there was an edge to his words. "I thought he was out of the picture. Why is he calling you now?"

Twinkle swallowed hard. "I… I don’t know. He just called out of the blue. Said he needed to talk to me about something important." She paused, unsure of how to proceed. "But Kunj, I don’t want to meet him. Not anymore. Whatever Neil and I had—it’s over."

Kunj’s expression softened slightly, though there was still a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "Twinkle, are you sure? I don’t want any surprises cropping up later."

Twinkle reached out and placed her hand on Kunj’s arm, her eyes meeting his with sincerity. "I’m sure, Kunj. I don’t want to go back to the past. Neil was a part of my life, but he doesn’t belong in my future." Her voice was steady now, filled with conviction. "We’ve already got enough on our plate with this whole shaadi ka natak. I don’t need any extra drama."

Kunj looked at her for a long moment, as if trying to gauge whether she meant every word. Finally, he let out a deep breath and nodded. "Fine. I’ll trust you on this."

Twinkle smiled slightly, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. "Thank you, Kunj."

But before they could say anything more, Kunj’s phone rang again. He glanced at it, his brows furrowing as he saw it was from his business partner, Raj.

"Hello?" Kunj answered, standing up and walking a few steps away as he spoke.

Twinkle watched him, feeling a small sense of relief that the conversation about Neil was over. She wanted to leave that chapter of her life behind, for good. Neil was a mistake, a reminder of a time when she had been too naïve, too trusting. She wouldn’t let him disrupt her life again.

---

Later that Evening

The evening had settled in, and Twinkle and Kunj found themselves back in their shared apartment, exhausted from the day’s events. The silence between them was no longer awkward; it was a comfortable silence. They were learning to coexist, even if their marriage was just for show.

Twinkle sat on the couch, flipping through the channels absentmindedly, while Kunj worked on his laptop at the dining table. The usual nok-jhok was absent, replaced by an easygoing calmness that neither of them commented on.

Suddenly, Twinkle’s phone buzzed again. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking it might be Neil again, but when she glanced at the screen, it was just a message from Chinki, her best friend. Twinkle breathed a sigh of relief.

Chinki: Babe, heard about Neil calling you. You okay?

Twinkle quickly typed back: Yeah, I’m fine. Not meeting him though. Done with that chapter of my life.

Chinki: Good riddance. He was trouble anyway. So, how’s Kunj treating you?

Twinkle’s fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment before she responded: Kunj’s fine. We’re getting along… surprisingly well.

Chinki: That’s progress! ;) Keep me posted!

Twinkle smiled at the screen before setting her phone down, glancing over at Kunj who was still immersed in his work. Maybe things weren’t so bad after all. Maybe this fake marriage wasn’t the disaster she’d imagined.